Over the course of the last few months, we brought to you a variety of international events and shows of interest. If your budget or time constraints limit you to just one show to go to, go visit the pinnacle of them all, the German Techno Classica. Held in Essen close to Cologne for 35 years since 1989, the Techno Classica has always been the largest and most impressive of them all. 2024's event ended just a couple days ago. Here's why you should go in 2025.
This year 1,100 exhibitors were showing 2,700 cars — around 2,000 of them for sale — to almost 190,000 visitors from over 40 nations. Eight halls and two outdoor areas covering close to 1.3-million sq.ft. – do you need more info? But why would this matter to Porsche fans like you? Just like with any other object of desire, the homeland, the land of its inception and creation, also has the biggest variety of cars, and the largest number of suppliers, tuners, and accessories manufacturers in the world. If you like, love, live, and breathe Porsche, TC has more variety for you than any other event in the world, promise.
By our own estimate, close to 200 cars – or about 10% of the cars for sale – appeared to be Porsches, and of course, mainly 911s. Whether it’s super early cars, current models, modified ones or one-offs, Essen did not disappoint. Dozens of dealers held unique cars for sale, with some of them being brand- or even model-specific. There were super-early 1960s short-wheelbase 911s, Carrera RSs, a variety of 1975 Turbos, air-cooled, water-cooled, and modern cars through today, but no company did more to promote and offer 911s than the aptly named EARLY911S, a German outlet based in nearby Wuppertal, just half an hour south of the show in Essen.
With almost 40 cars on display (all but two being 911s) the company did its name proud. “Our display of 39 cars is to highlight the 50th anniversary of the Porsche turbo,” explains the company’s Daniel Neumann. The cars were placed chronologically and in a circle, allowing visitors to walk the turbo timeline and see the cars from the front or the back. There were too many highlights to list them all, but some of our favorites were the 1976 930 3.0 in one-of-one color Turquoise Diamond and an interior in striking yellow-and-blue plaid; the Slate Grey 1989 slantnose 3.3-liter Turbo; the original bb “Polaroid” 911 Targa, built by Buschmann and used in the movie “Carnapping” (unfortunately not for sale); as well as two wonderful motor show cars, the 965 prototype shown at the 1990 Geneva Motor Show in Amethyst and, last but by no means least, the Paris Motor Show car from two years later, the 1992 wimbledon green Turbo 3.6 with a wonderfully quirky green interior.
This display alone would have put previous show stands by Porsche AG to shame – which is just as well as Porsche itself was no longer present with their own display in Essen. But Porsche wasn’t the outlier. Other brands from Mercedes to BMW, Opel to VW, were also absent. While experts lamented the missing manufacturers, for us this was a return to Techno Classica’s early days, where the main stands were organized by clubs and dealers. Speaking of clubs, as in previous years, Stuttgart’s club department managed a neat little display of a variety of Porsche clubs under one banner – with a bright red Porsche Diesel tractor taking center stage.
Another car that took our fancy was Swedish dealer MOTIKON’s Speed Yellow 2003 996, an ex-Porsche AG car with a later Ruf R Kompressor and 409 horsepower. Broad Arrow Private Sales had brought a wonderful 2018 935 (one of 77 ever built), a 700-hp monster in gorgeous green Jägermeister trim. Abt restorations (yes, that DTM Abt) showed off their restoration masterpiece, a 1970 Porsche 911S Coupé in Irish Green. This car was delivered new to New York in late 1969 and presented itself fully converted to EU spec with extensive photo documentation.
But that wasn’t everything. Techno Classica has several dozen suppliers offering any standard item and any Porsche accessory you can think of. Whether it’s the new Turkish outlet Antrim manufacturing impressive-looking interior parts like dashboards and sun visors, or veterans Classic Auto Radio Station, who had Blaupunkt and Becker radios from the 1930s to 2000 for sale, Essen is the land of milk and honey for Porsche fans. Seatbelt experts Quickfit Safety Belts from the UK appeared to do very good business supplying replacement webbing and locks for standard belts as well as four- and five-point safety harness systems.
No doubt the Porsche market is alive and thriving. Something that specialist Martin Heinze from Classic Analytics, one of Germany’s leading appraisal firms summed up nicely: “We are looking at an ever more segmented market today. Prewar cars are losing their momentum and prices are going down. High-end classics are thriving while bread-and-butter cars are having a tough time and values are sinking. The Porsche market, however, is rising on a trajectory of its own.”
Enough said.
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